Of the great bel canto composers of the primo ottocento
Bellini had the easiest passage to fame. Born in Catania, Sicily,
in 1801, his father and grandfather were musicians and minor composers.
Under their tuition it was reported that Vincenzo could play the
piano marvellously at little more than five years of age and was
writing sacred music by seven. His grandfather, having taught
him all he could, Bellini went to study at the Conservatory at
Naples in 1819. It was a custom of the institution to introduce
a composition student who had completed his studies to the public
with a dramatic work. Bellini’s Adelson e Salvini, an opera
semi-seria, was presented with a cast of male students in the
Conservatory’s theatre. Its success led to a commission from the
Royal Theatre of Naples, the San Carlo, to write an opera for
a gala evening in May 1826. This too met with success and Bellini
received an invitation from La Scala, Milan, where his third opera,
Il Pirata was received with acclaim in October 1827. The
Milan commission brought Bellini into contact with the librettist
Romani and the two started a fruitful collaboration. This was
based not only on the composer’s liking for Romani’s verses but
also on personal friendship. This friendship tended to blur the
composer’s irritation with the librettist’s dilatory and dilettante
manner as to delivery dates.

Between 1827 and
1833 Bellini lived in Milan and the success of his works gave
him entrée to the higher social circles. Although he never
held a musical post, the popularity of his operas and their
unique character allowed Bellini to ask a higher price for
his compositions than had been the norm in Italy previously,
albeit that some music critics saw dangers in the novel style
he was evolving. Bellini was not perturbed and he wrote in
March 1830: My style is now heard in the most important
theatres in the world. All was not a bed of roses for
the young and handsome man who had as his mistress the wife
of a wealthy local industrialist. He suffered the first bout
of the gastro-intestinal problems from which he was to die
within five years. After convalescence, and aborting an opera
based on Victor Hugo’s ‘Hernani’ because of censorship fears,
he presented La Sonnambula at Milan’s Carcano Theatre.
This was part of the season staged by the Duke of Litta, and
two rich associates, involving the soprano Giuditta Pasta
and the tenor Rubini (review).
It was an enormous success and Bellini was commissioned to
write an opera to open the 1831-32 Carnival Season at La Scala.
With Romani as librettist the chosen subject was Norma.

The plot of Norma
concerns the eponymous Druid priestess who, despite her vows
of chastity, has secretly had two children by the Roman proconsul
Pollione. She discovers that he has transferred his affections
to another priestess, her friend Adalgisa. Norma tries to
persuade Pollione to renounce Adalgisa and return to her,
even threatening to kill their children. When he refuses she
confesses her guilt publicly and is condemned to die on a
funeral pyre. Pollione, moved by her actions, asks to die
with her.

Macerata, a city
in the Marche area of Italy, has hosted a festival for over
thirty years. The main venue for productions is the Arena
Sferistero. It is in one of the most unusual arena venues.
Originally built in the 1820s for the practice of the sport
called pallone. When the potential of its massive size
was recognised in the 1960s it was restored and now seats
over six thousand spectators. Its massive back wall provides
a width of stage which frequently challenges producers as
is the case here. The central set, for both acts is a stepped
dais topped with four rectangular columns and roof above which
is a lit beacon; most of the limited action takes place on
and in front of this. To each side are walkways allowing the
various individuals and groups to enter and leave. Symbols
of right and left-handed swastikas abound.

After the long
prelude (Disc 1 Ch.2), well conducted by Paola Arrivabeni
with drama, but without losing Bellini’s elegiac motif, the
Druids led by Oroveso enter (Ch.3). Whilst the chorus is appropriately
vibrant in their singing, Simon Orfila as the Druid leader
is unsteady and lacking in vocal colour, weight and sonority.
Worse is to follow with the entry of Pollione (Ch.4) sung
by Carlo Ventre. He is recognisable in appropriate Roman type
costume and certainly does not lack weight of voice. However,
his stentorian tones are used unremittingly without any effort
at characterisation or much variation of modulation throughout
the performance. With little effort at acting, except for
the odd hand-wave, his is in the worst traditions of can
belto Italian tenors.

The entrance of
Norma at the top of the steps brings some improvement in singing
quality. Dimitra Theodossiou has some claim to be the leading
current exponent of the role. Her interpretation tends towards
the mould of Callas. However she has a bigger voice, to encompass
the dramatic outbursts, than her earlier compatriot and can
be compared to that of Caballé in her memorable 1974 recording
from the Roman Theatre at Orange, with the full gusts of the
mistral as accompaniment (Hardy Classics HCD 4003). Theodossiou
is well capable of soft singing with promising legato as in
the recitative to Casta Diva and the aria itself (Chs.5-6),
but far too often she sings with vocal abandon and excessive
chest tones, losing vocal beauty in pursuit of overt and crude
dramatic effect. As Theodossiou sings Norma’s great aria,
the video director reveals himself as the ultimate fiddler,
never letting his camera settle for a minute, constantly moving
to and from close-ups to mid and wide shots and even from
above, somewhere high among the audience! It is not only irritating
but also reveals the frequent ugly snarl on the soprano’s
face and her excessive, even demonic, eye make-up. Throughout
the opera Norma appears in a variety of low cut dresses, in
a medley of colours from white to black via vivid blue and
red, each of similar design with her ample bosom more than
adequately exposed in the aforesaid frequent close-ups of
the video director. When Norma is joined by the Adalgisa of
Daniela Barcellona, the singing quality goes up another welcome
notch. I will not enter here into the relative merits of a
soprano or mezzo voice for the role; suffice to say that Barcellona’s
warm vibrant tone contrasts well with that of Theodossiou,
whilst their singing of the lovely ethereal melody of the
duet Mira, o Norma (Disc 2 Ch 1) is a highlight of
the performance. Adalgisa, like Norma, is in a low-cut dress,
but in red and with a similar level of exposure. It is no
wonder these supposed chaste women attracted Roman officers
like bees to honey!

The director,
Massimo Gasparon, who is also responsible for the sets and
costumes, seems to have devoted most of his time to the inappropriate
coloured costumes. Often, as at entry, the chorus could be
mistaken for those of Romans, with red robes and with yellow
drapes from the shoulder looking just like a Roman toga (Disc
1 Ch.3). Similarly, as they enter at the call for war, (Disc
2 Chs. 4-5) their headdresses look more Roman than Druidic.
Nor does Gasparon distinguish himself as director, the singers
often being left to their own devices and with little use
being made of the possibilities of the stage set. As to what
is supposed to be going on with counter-rotating swastikas
as Norma and Pollione enter the flames I am not sure, nor,
I suspect, were the audience any wiser than I.

This is the second
shot Dynamic have had at this opera. An earlier performance
from Catania, Sicily with the same Norma and Pollione was
poorly received (Dynamic 33493) and whilst this is an improvement
on that, it by no means fills the need for a modern video
recording of Bellini’s masterpiece. Recently, nearing the
end of her illustrious bel canto career, Edita Gruberova
has taken on the role. Regrettably, the production involving
her that has made it onto video is more confusing than illuminating.
It does, however, have the virtues of Brian Large’s immensely
experienced video direction and, as in this performance, an
excellent Adalgisa, sung in this case by Sonia Ganassi (DG
073 4219 GH2).

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